Jonathan, a 194-year-old tortoise recognised as the world’s oldest living land animal, has now added another accolade to his shell.
The Seychelles giant tortoise living on the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena was named a Guinness World Records Icon by the organisation on June 17.
Believed to be born around 1832, Jonathan is older than the Victorian Age, which spanned England’s Queen Victoria’s 63-year reign from 1837; London’s Tower Bridge and Paris’ Eiffel Tower.
The average life expectancy of his species is 150 years.
Despite having lost his sense of smell owing to old age, local vets confirm that Jonathan is in great condition and has a healthy appetite.
In a 30-second video posted by Guinness World Records on social media platform X on June 17, Jonathan glances at his award certificate before moving on. In another scene, he is seen eating some carrots.
St Helena Governor Nigel Phillips said the global acknowledgement reflected what the community has long known – that Jonathan is not only remarkable in age, but also truly special to the island and its people.
St Helena Tourism described the award as “a deserving honour for St Helena’s most famous resident”.
Jonathan, more popularly known as ol’ Jono by local residents, was 50 years old when he was brought to St Helena from the Seychelles in East Africa in 1882, as a gift to the future governor of the island, together with three other tortoises.
On April Fool’s Day in 2026, there were false claims that he had died – news that was widely reported by some media outlets until it was debunked.
That does not seem to have fazed the centenarian who, according to Guinness, “happily spends his days with three other tortoises in the gardens of the Governor’s residence, eating grass and basking in the sunshine”.
The Guinness World Records Icons is a recognition awarded to record-holders, pioneers and internationally significant figures with achievements that have had a lasting impact.
Besides Jonathan, Guinness also conferred the award to South Korean girl group Blackpink, retired wrestler and actor John Cena, astronaut Christina Koch, Nigerian chef and restaurateur Hilda Baci, Japanese baseball pitcher Shohei Ohtani and Nepalese double above-knee amputee and record-breaking mountaineer Hari Budha Magar.
